


i'm okay

by ohdearcheesus



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Brief Mentions of Blood, Car Accidents, M/M, Nightmares, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-14
Updated: 2013-12-14
Packaged: 2018-01-04 14:46:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1082254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohdearcheesus/pseuds/ohdearcheesus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Since the day of his parents' car accident, it hadn't been uncommon for Eren to find himself waking up in a cold sweat, the last bits of a scream lingering in the air around him and tears rolling down his cheeks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i'm okay

**Author's Note:**

> First SnK, done at the request of a friend. :3  
> The prompt is from [here](http://otpprompts.tumblr.com).
> 
>   _Imagine person A or B of your OTP has nightmares due to something tragic that happened in their life. One night, they’re weeping and tossing about in bed, waking person B, who begins to comfort A._
> 
> Unbeta'd, so let me know if you find mistakes.

Since the day of his parents' car accident, it hadn't been uncommon for Eren to find himself waking up in a cold sweat, the last bits of a scream lingering in the air around him and tears rolling down his cheeks. His sister, Mikasa, had gotten so used to it that she didn't come running into his room right away anymore, though she did still check on him. Every time, he would assure her that he was okay [even if he _wasn't_ ], accept her hug, and shoo her off to bed again. He'd struggle to get back to sleep after that, images of a wrecked car and the red and blue lights of police vehicles and ambulances flashing behind his closed eyelids.

As time passes, the nightmares start to occur less and less. He's more than grateful for it, except, of course, for the fact that they're always so much more intense than they used to be when he _does_ have them. They frequently leave him in tears and he spends the rest of the night tossing and turning and not being able to get back to sleep. Mikasa still worries.

 

\---

They graduate high school and, with their mutual best friend, Armin, apply to the same college. They're all overjoyed when the three of them are accepted and they're more than ready to go. Eren waits anxiously for his dorm assignment and, when he finally gets it, he thanks whatever god there is that he ends up _not_ having a roommate. Mikasa and Armin are the only ones who know about his nightmares and he'd rather not have to explain them to anyone else _or_ wake up from one to have someone who isn't basically family hovering over him wondering what's wrong.

Once he gets into the swing of his class and homework schedule, he applies for a job at the bookstore not far from campus. He lands an interview and, he finds out later, the job. At first, it's hard to balance work and school, but he manages and figures it out; he's not stupid, even if sometimes his grades seem to show otherwise [lazy and unintelligent are two _totally_ different things].

About a week passes before he meets Levi. Levi's older and shorter and kind of brash. He's got piercings in his ears and above his eyebrow and on his collarbone. Something about him is almost mysterious and Eren immediately finds him attractive. The first time Levi comes into the store, Eren is instantly captivated by him, watching him walk through the store whenever he sees him and isn't involved with a customer. He finishes up with one woman and waves the next customer up only to find himself staring into Levi's dark blue eyes when he looks up.

Levi comes off as a little rude at first and he teases Eren for being kind of flustered throughout the transaction. He's snarky and seems to love sarcasm and it's a little irritating, but Eren spends longer talking to him than he probably should given the fact that he's supposed to be working. When Levi finally leaves, the brunet can't help feeling a little disappointed.

It's a few more days until he sees Levi at work again. He comes up with another book, purposely waiting in line until Eren's register is open, which makes the boy a lot happier than it probably should. They talk just as long as they had the first time--if not longer. This time, Eren finds out that Levi's twenty-six and that he attends the same college and is a senior. _This time_ , before he takes his new book and heads out the door, Levi slides Eren a little slip of paper with his number on it. A bright red blush blooms across the student's cheeks and his nose and the tips of his ears as he pulls his phone out to add Levi as a contact and then quickly pockets both the phone and the note.

With the new addition of texting each other when Eren isn't working, it goes on like that for a while. Eren eventually figures out Levi's schedule and vice versa and, one day, Eren gets up the courage to actually ask Levi to hang out while he's _not_ at work. They end up going out to lunch. It's just Subway, but they both have fun, even if Levi doesn't show it as well as Eren does.

After a few more times going out to lunch, they make a habit of it every day that their schedules don't conflict or one of them doesn't have other plans. Armin and Mikasa want to hang out one Tuesday and Eren invites Levi, too. Mikasa isn't very fond of him, what with his general attitude and his personality and the seemingly rude 'nicknames' he has for Eren. Armin doesn't seem to mind as much and, by the end of lunch, he's even laughing at some of Levi's jokes, despite them being crude.

 

\---

About a month passes like this. The two of them meet frequently to have lunch and Levi still comes into the bookstore, sometimes buying something, most of the time not. There are times when they'll hang out after Eren gets off work, going to Eren's dorm room and playing video games or heading to the arcade that's downtown or going out for food.

One Saturday night when he isn't working, Levi asks Eren out to dinner. The taller boy is eager to accept, though he can't help feeling that something is different about the way that Levi's voice sounds when he asks. They go to a restaurant that _isn't_ fast food for once and head to the park afterwards, even if the night air has gotten a bit cold. They're sitting on a bench, closer than usual, and talking.

Levi says something that isn't even that funny, but the two of them burst out in a fit of uncontrollable laughter regardless and when they finally start to calm down, Eren appreciating the way that the other man looks when he's laughing--actually _laughing_ \--they're sort of staring at each other. Eren finds himself leaning in before he knows that he's doing it, left hand coming up to cup Levi's cheek. Levi obviously knows what's coming and is fine with it because his eyes close and then he's leaning in, too, their lips meeting just seconds later, and Eren can feel heat rising in his cheeks and maybe also in Levi's. They kiss until they need to break apart for a breath and, even then, they don't move far away from each other. Both of them are smiling and Eren half-giggles before moving in to steal another kiss.

It's late when Levi drops Eren off at his dorm. They kiss goodnight and the older male leaves with the promise of lunch the next day. Eren waves him off, a goofy smile on his face, and heads inside.

That night, Eren has another nightmare. It's the same as usual--the lights and sounds, the voices and screams--except this time, Levi's in the car, too. He wakes up covered in sweat and tears and shaking. No matter how hard he tries, he can't get the images out of his head and he doesn't get any more sleep that night.

When morning comes, he's exhausted. A part of him wants to talk to someone because he's still bothered by the dream even if that's all that it was, but he doesn't. While he waits for Levi to text him about lunch, he does some homework to try to distract himself. Armin comes by for a while and wonders what's wrong [of course he can tell; he's known Eren forever] and Eren only tells him that he didn't sleep well. He doesn't mention the nightmare, but he _does_ find himself almost gushing about his date with Levi. He kind of feels like one of those stereotypical teenage girls, but he can't complain too much because, when he finishes talking, he feels a lot better. By the time Levi knocks at his dorm room door, he's nearly forgotten about the dream.

Another few weeks pass and Eren and Levi are growing closer and closer. The longer they're together, the more open Levi is becoming with him. It's nice, really. Eren enjoys spending time with him and he knows Levi does, too, because he's told him more than once that Eren's lucky that he likes him or else he wouldn't be putting up with his shit. Every time he says it, Eren laughs and then Levi acts like he's irritated. That feigned irritation disappears quickly when the brunet continues to laugh, fading into amusement, and then Levi's laughing too. Quite often these days, the laughing fits give way to kissing.

They continue their daily lunches whenever they have time, sometimes going out and sometimes just eating on campus. The food isn't always the greatest, but spending time with each other is. Mikasa and Armind usually join them when they eat at the campus dining halls and, recently, Levi's friends, Hanji and Erwin, have started eating with them, too. Eren's sister is warming up to Levi--it's only _just_ , but it's better than nothing. Not that Eren is _incredibly_ worried about her approval, however; he likes Mikasa to be happy, but he's old enough to make his own choices and she _isn't_ his mom, no matter how much she acts like it sometimes.

 

\---

Levi's birthday happens to be Christmas Day and Eren spends the last couple weeks leading up to it looking for the perfect gift. He's getting really frustrated because _nothing_ seems right and when he finally decides to ask Armin's opinion, the blond suggests jewelry. After all, Levi has several piercings and isn't opposed to necklaces and rings and the like. It's a little early in their relationship for Eren to be giving him a ring of any kind, so when he enters the jewelry store, he walks right past them and to the necklaces and earrings. Most of the stuff he sees is way too cheesy--little hearts and flowers and animals and things--but soon his gaze gets caught by something . It's two small wings, one made of white stones and the other of black, the white one overlapping the black one. The moment he sees the necklace, he knows it's perfect, so he buys it right away, not even caring about the price. He sends Armin a picture of it along with his thanks.

Christmas comes both too quickly and too slowly after that. Since neither Levi nor Eren have family to go home to [Mikasa and Armin are the exceptions to that, of course, but they're both staying on campus, too], the two of them decide to spend Christmas Eve with their friends and Christmas Day together. It's Eren's first time at Levi's apartment and he takes the time to look around, the cleanliness of it not at all surprising him, especially after the times Levi's complained about his dorm.

Eren is nervous when he hands Levi his present, the small box wrapped in bright green paper with blue ribbon around it. The shorter male takes it and quickly undoes the bow, carefully pulling at the tape holding the wrapping paper down. He's taking his time, which only serves to make Eren more anxious. The look on Levi's face when he finally takes the lid off the box and pulls out the necklace, setting aside the box and holding the wings in his hand to inspect them closely, though, is totally worth Eren feeling like he's about to puke from the somersaults his stomach is doing.  Eren helps his boyfriend get the necklace clasped around his neck and admires how it looks when he takes a step back.

A minute later, Levi's handing him a box that's significantly larger and much more neatly wrapped than his own gift had been. Eren flashes him a smile, but otherwise wastes no time in tucking his fingers into the paper and tearing it off. Before Levi can reprimand him for being messy, he wads up the wrapping and sets it beside him, pulling off the top of the box to reveal a really nice, tan, military-style jacket. He holds it up with a grin to look it over, marveling at the softness of the fur lined hood.

Once he's put the jacket down and thrown away their trash, he pulls Levi into a grateful hug and an affectionate kiss. They tumble back onto the couch, Levi on top of Eren, and stay like that for a while, just kissing and appreciating each other's company. The black haired man pulls away slightly, trailing kisses over to Eren's ear and half-purring his request for Eren to stay the night.

There's no way Eren can say no to that.

It's hours before they finally head to bed, the two of them shedding their clothes down to their underwear--which Levi makes Eren pick up and fold when he unceremoniously drops them on the floor--and climbing into bed. Levi lays with his back to Eren's chest and the younger man curls around him, one arm underneath his own pillow and the other wrapped around Levi's chest and pulling him close. They fall asleep murmuring to each other, both talking nonsense by the time sleep overtakes them.

 

\---

They're in Levi's car, driving down the already icy road when it starts snowing. Eren's nervous, anxiety tugging at him and making him sink down into the passenger seat. He keeps glancing at the other male as he tries to tamp down the dreadful feeling bubbling in his gut and making his stomach flip. He has no reason to be nervous--for one, Levi's a good driver, always extremely attentive and careful; plus, he's grown up further north than this and is used to driving in worse conditions during the winter.

Eren can't shake the feeling, though, and he clings to his seat every time they go around a curve. Levi keeps asking him if he's okay and he continues to assure him that, yes, he's fine. He just doesn't like driving in the snow, that's all. His boyfriend reaches over to pat his leg, turning his head to give him a reassuring smile as he tells him that it's okay and that they'll be getting off the road soon.

From there, things seem to go in slow motion.

There's a red car speeding around the corner on the opposite side of the road. It hits a patch of ice just as Levi is turning his attention back to the road. The driver of the other car slams on his brakes, which only causes him to slide more, the car rushing towards theirs as Levi tries to get out of the way of it. His eyes are wide and Eren can tell that he's almost panicking and before they can do anything else, the red car smashes into the front of Levi's, a sickening crunch the only thing that Eren can hear as he throws his arms up instinctively to try to protect his face.

After the other car collides with them, it swings around and slams into the driver's side of the car. Eren's body jerks hard with the impact, his head almost hitting the window, and when he looks over, he instantly wishes he hadn't. Levi's head is lulling to the side and there's blood... Oh, god, there's so much blood everywhere.

Eren screams.

 

\---

The next thing he knows, his shoulder is being shaken lightly, a voice to his side saying something but he can't hear it over the sound of someone screaming. It takes him a moment to realize that _he's_ the one screaming and that his cheeks are wet. He lifts a hand to touch his face and pulls it away. Expecting to see blood, he's more than surprised when he sees that the liquid coating his fingers is clear and not as viscous as it should be. It's only tears. Eren blinks a few times and tries to focus, turning in the direction of whoever is still talking to him.

It takes him a moment longer to realize that it's Levi.

Hands instantly reach out for the shorter man, cupping his cheeks and checking the side of his head. Confusion flashes across Levi's features for the briefest of moments but then he's talking again, telling Eren to calm down, it's okay, it was just a dream; _I'm here, Eren, I'm here_. Tears are still flowing down Eren's cheeks as his hands scrabble at Levi, moving down his neck and over his shoulders and chest and sides until he finally wraps them around his waist. He nearly dives at the Levi from there, burying his face in the junction between his neck and shoulder as he tries hard to stop the tears.

His partner brings his hands up instantly, laying them on his back and rubbing circles as he whispers soothing words and presses kisses into Eren's hair. Eren listens closely, focusing on breathing and calming himself down. When Levi asks Eren if he wants to talk about it, the brunet shakes his head, letting him know that, right now, this is all he needs. The older of the pair easily accepts the answer and goes back to what he was doing to soothe his shaking boyfriend.

Eventually, Eren calms down. He's no longer trembling uncontrollably, his breathing so even that Levi has to wonder if he's fallen back asleep. He hasn't yet, which he proves by sitting up and leaning forward to press his lips to Levi's, doing his best to try to convey how thankful he is through the kiss. Just in case he doesn't quite get his message across, he thanks Levi multiple times, giving him quick kisses after each one. Levi only chuckles softly, holding tightly to Eren.

They stay up and talk for a while after that, Eren physically calm, but still mentally shaken. Levi manages to convince him to lie down again and it's the shorter male's turn to curl around Eren, holding him close as he cards fingers through his shaggy hair. For the first time in a while, Eren is able to fall back asleep after his nightmare.

 

\---

When he wakes up in the next morning after sleeping through the rest of the night, he can't help but be extremely thankful for Levi. Sure, he knows he'll still have nightmares--cuddling only magically cures problems in the movies and books--but at least he knows that he has someone to comfort him when he needs it.

With a smile, he snuggles against Levi's chest, breathing him in and holding him tightly.

The nightmares may be shitty, but he's pretty sure he'll be okay.


End file.
